Patient directed social media use among participants of centering pregnancy groups

Social support in pregnancy and postpartum is important for optimizing maternal and infant health. Group prenatal care offers the opportunity for in-person social support yet does not extend into the postpartum period. Mobile social support models may further meet the needs of pregnant individuals and partners during pregnancy and into the postpartum period. However, the use and utility of mobile social support for pregnant people and their partners in the context of group prenatal care and beyond has not been studied. Assessing Centering patients' utilization of existing social media platforms can inform programmatic development.

We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study among recent participants of UCSF's Centering Pregnancy^® program and their partners. Study participants were recruited through UCSF's electronic health record system or direct email and partners were recruited through referral from participants. Online surveys sought to understand participant perspectives on mobile groups, educational and social support needs, and recommendations.

Participants gave birth between 2018 and 2021 (68%), were college-educated (97.3%), and regularly accessed social media (> 75% across platforms). Most participants engaged in Centering Pregnancy^® online communications outside of formal activities (79% during pregnancy, 74% postpartum) for social support (78.1%) and knowledge sharing (65.2%). Most posted content monthly (54.6%) but read content more frequently (48.0% at least weekly). Communication frequency and topics changed with the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents wanted more information on infant sleep (42.6%), maternal recovery/health (38.7%), breastfeeding/formula feeding (37.4%), newborn health and care (34.2%), and child development (27.1%). Social group engagement was higher for individuals reporting depressive or anxiety symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum.

The findings confirm the importance of social support, especially postpartum, for health, how mobile support groups can impact these outcomes, and needs and areas of improvement for group prenatal care. Integration of a social media support component to the evolving post-COVID Centering Pregnancy^® model may be an important addition to improve participating parent wellbeing.